Will a Utah Jazz feel-good moment translate into continued success?
The No. 5 seed Utah Jazz, in dramatic fashion, defeated the No. 4 seed Dallas Mavericks in Salt Lake City on Saturday, 100-99.
In doing so, the Jazz tied the best-of-seven first-round NBA Playoffs series at 2-2. Plus, they proved they can outduel Dallas in clutch situations even when the Mavericks have the services of Luka Doncic, who made his 2022 postseason debut after missing the first three games against Utah with a strained left calf.
The heated series now returns to Dallas for Game 5 on Monday night.
Utah Jazz vs Dallas Mavericks Game 5 Odds
According to WynnBet, the Mavericks are a 3.0-point favorite. Dallas is a -150 favorite on the money line, with Utah currently appearing as a +125 underdog. And the over/under sits at 212.5 points.
Utah Jazz Starting Lineup Tonight
Jazz head coach Quin Snyder will likely employ his regular starters: Mike Conley, Donovan Mitchell, Royce O’Neale, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Rudy Gobert.
Utah Jazz Injury Report
Udoka Azubuike (right ankle surgery) remains out for the season. Meanwhile, Trent Forrest (left foot sprain) also appears to still be out of action for the time being.
Utah Jazz vs Dallas Mavericks Game 5 Prediction
Symbolically speaking, Game 4 couldn’t have ended any better for the Jazz.
Donovan Mitchell averages only two passes per game to Rudy Gobert. And the friction between the two Utah centerpieces has been no secret over the years, especially this season. So, naturally, Jazz fans were thrilled to see that Mitchell’s alley-oop dish to Gobert with 11.0 seconds remaining on Saturday resulted in the game-winning basket.
Furthermore, one could argue that Luka Doncic’s return and frequent iso moves throughout the bout disrupted the Mavericks’ free-flowing style and might have dinged the confidence levels of his teammates. They had often been blistering hot from deep in the recent games without Doncic on the floor.
The underdog — Dallas up until now — has beaten the spread in three of the four outings to date. Also, consider that the scoring margin has been less than nine points each time out.
With all the positive vibes flowing in the Utah locker room right now, the expectation here is that the Jazz will beat the odds, sneak out a win, and return home with control of the series.
Prediction: Utah 107, Dallas 103
Make your pick now on WynnBET.
Utah Jazz vs Dallas Mavericks Game 5 TV Channel
Game 5 will air on TNT at 7:30 p.m. MT Monday.
Utah Jazz Next Game
Game 6 in Salt Lake City takes place on Thursday (time and TV to be determined).
Stay tuned to The J-Notes for more Utah Jazz news and views.